1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle seat provided with a blower therein.
2. Description of Related Art
One such vehicle seat is a well-known vehicle seat that includes a seat cushion, a seat back, and a blower (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-8334 (JP 2004-8334 A)). The blower includes a centrifugal blower mechanism (i.e., a mechanism that blows air in the centrifugal direction while drawing in outside air from the axial direction of the apparatus). Also, the seat cushion includes a cushion that forms the outer shape (i.e., the contour) of the seat, a flow path portion inside the cushion, and a cover made of fabric. The cushion is an elastic member capable of supporting an occupant, and may be made with polyurethane foam (resin foam that has an intersecting cell structure).
The flow path portion has a communicating portion, an air hole, and a cover member. The communicating portion is a linear recessed portion on the back (i.e., the underside) of the cushion. Also, the air hole is such that one end is open to the seating side of the cushion and the other end is connected to the communicating portion. Also, the cover member is a planar-shaped member that is arranged on the back of the cushion, and has a hole that communicates the blower with the communicating portion. In the related art, the seating surface of the cushion is covered by the cover while the back of the cushion (i.e., the air hole and the communicating portion) is covered by the cover member. Next, the blower is communicated with the communicating portion via the hole, while being arranged below the seat cushion. Air blown out from the blower is blown at an occupant through the flow path portion (i.e., the hole, the communicating portion, and the air hole) of the cushion.
Here, with the vehicle seat described above, it is preferable that a portion of the cover is able to be retained by the cushion when covering the cushion with the cover. For example, with Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-186794 (JP 2002-186794 A), a portion of the cover is retained in a recessed portion on the seating side of the cushion by a retaining structure formed by a retaining portion, a retained portion, and a ring member. The ring member is a generally C-shaped linear member, and is closed (to form a general O-shape) by a tool or the like. The retaining portion is a structure that continues on from the cover, and includes a first wire and band-shaped cloth material. The cloth material is folded in and attached to a portion of the cover, and the first wire is inserted therein. Also, the retained portion is a structure that continues on from the cushion, and includes a second wire. The second wire is embedded in the cushion and arranged so as to face the first wire. Also, a portion of the second wire is exposed from a recessed portion (a recessed portion on the seating side of the cushion). With the related art, the first wire and the second wire are first passed through the ring member while a portion of the cover is tucked into the recessed portion, and then the ring member is closed. As a result, a portion of the cover is able to be retained in the recessed portion of the cushion, while the cushion is covered by the cover.
However, with the related art, the cushion has the recessed portion on the seating side, and the communicating portion on the back side. Therefore, the cushion becomes extremely thin (i.e., the thickness dimension becomes extremely small) at the portion where the recessed portion and the communicating portion overlap, so air may leak out. That is, the structure would have somewhat poor blowing efficiency. Of course, the thickness dimension of the cushion could be maintained by omitting the recessed portion on the seating side, but doing so would result in a structure that is somewhat inconvenient when assembling the seat. That is, the structure would have poor seat performance.